Ray Mears Goes Walkabout - Your Views

[lostplanet]

'I've really enjoyed the series. However, for all his skills and knowledge I'm starting to see Mr. Mears as the ultimate gear-geek and I'm finding the level of cross-promotion/ product placement between TV, book and Woodlore quite cynical.'

Well it's enevitable I think, that everyone will try to profit from their profession and others will complain about it.
If RM/woodlore doesn't do it some one else sure as hell will.
At least ray doesn't have a Eau de Toilette range out...... yet.
Anyone with more money than sense to shop around for items of kit and pay too much deserve all they get IMO.

 

[firecrest]

Its probably not Ray personally , someone will be paid to run the business side of things smoothly, and companies will probably send him stuff for free.

 

[ArkAngel]

'it is a perfect flashlight for all outdoor enthusiasts' who no longer wish to have night-vision or any pocket-money left.

I've really enjoyed the series. However, for all his skills and knowledge I'm starting to see Mr. Mears as the ultimate gear-geek and I'm finding the level of cross-promotion/ product placement between TV, book and Woodlore quite cynical.

It is product placement i agree and i don't think you will find any 'personality' these days that doesn't do the same thing and fair play to them. At least if you do it yourself you keep a degree of control in what goes on.
Yes if you look at the website you will see a lot of very expensive kit there. But it is VERY good kit. A lot of the stuff i have bought (equipment and clothing has been amongst the hardest wearing stuff i have ever owned.) As a birthday pressie SWMBO got me the 5.11 shirt. It has taken all sorts of hammer and still looks as good as new. I now own 3 more but i bought them from somewhere cheaper. In some cases if you look around woodlore is actually the cheapest place to buy it
Fair play to the guy. If he gets the sort of exposure he does the books, DVD's and appearances are part of daily life most probably set up by a manager/publisher type person. It will make him money and why not. It's his job after all. If i was doing the work i wouldn't want other people cashing in on my hard work for free.

 

[tjhavenith]

Although I did find this series useful, I found that some of the camera work was odd (mainly episode 2) which meant that we couldn't see, for instance, the knot that Ray was making.
I thought previous episodes were better produced, with more content. A good example of ths was Wild Food, yet with all Ray Mears series, I do find that there could always have been more. Maybe this is a restriction on the producers part (or saving it for the courses his company run), but Ray knows more and it would be great if he would show it!
I think that he has done very well to continue with this as his wife sadly passed away during the Wild Food series.
A fantastic national hero, with more to show. Well that's my humble opinion anyway!!